Nadesico Fan Fiction

Romance Of The Stars

By Kraven Ergeist

Chapter Two

Ruri paced the halls of the Nadesico, going over what she had learned.

Akito had said she was cute.

Of course, several crewmembers have said the same thing about her, but those had all been women. Here was Akito, a potential life mate, and he thought she was cute.

She was making progress.

But he had distinctly said that she was not the sort of person he would do it with. But what difference did that make? Minato had explained to her that she and Mr. Shiratori had yet to do it, and yet she still felt the warm glow of love. So, so what if she and Akito wouldn't do it right away? Besides, Ruri suspected that his reluctance was not due to any lack of attractiveness on her part, but rather an act of his own conscience, based on proper societal taboos, and, Ruri ceded sorrowfully, the law.

Ruri thought hard. There was no one on the ship her age. She had no one on Earth whom she yet saw as a potential life mate. So while it would be legally wrong for her and Akito to form a relationship, her response was always, 'did she have anyone else?'

Ruri thought back. Was that of any consequence? Here in space, millions of miles from any real policing system, were they really at all restricted by the law at all? True, the other crewmembers would probably also object, but aside from the Captain; few were really capable of enforcing…

Then it hit her.

"The Captain…"

Had Captain Misumaru not been expressing her desire for Akito for the entirety of the Nadesico's voyage? More than that, Mrs. Reinhardt, Mrs. Subaru, Mrs. Won, and even Mrs. Frassange had all seemed to place a certain degree of favor to him.

"So…rather than any female being attractive to him…Akito is attractive to many of the female crew…"

Ruri considered Akito for a moment. She considered the look of his body. Reasonably healthy. Not particularly muscular or even comparatively fit, but not at all flabby or lopsided or odoriferous.

She thought back to Akito's body and tried picturing him without a shirt on. She had to admit, it did seem appealing. But was that only the hormones talking, or was it something deeper?

Perhaps what made men attractive went beyond their bodies. The Captain had once said to Erina, while she thought no one was listening, that Akito gave everything his all, and that made her want to work harder as well. Ruri thought back to their visit to Peaceland. Akito had stood up for her on all accounts. Though he hadn't fared too well, Akito had protected her. He was also very resolute in whatever it was that he did. Though he may complain or gripe, he always stuck with whatever he was doing until it was finished.

Ruri shook her head, confused. Was she attracted to Akito? She sighed, ceding to her least favorite conclusion.

"Insufficient data…"

Defeated, she went off in search of Mrs. Minato.

xxxxx

"Say what?" Minato asked in disbelief.

It was after midnight, and Minato and Ruri were the only ones on the dark bridge, alone once again.

"I suspect that I am attracted to Mr. Tenkawa, but I am not sure. I was hoping that you could shed some light on the issue."

Instantly, the bridge lights came on.

"Not you, Omoikane."

The lights went off.

"Um…gee, Ruri…I mean you have to admit, you're not the first one to think of Mr. Akito this way."

Ruri nodded. "I am aware of that. If all those women are attracted to him, there is no reason that I couldn't be attracted to him as well. This is why I am unsure of whether such feelings have arisen through mere physical attractiveness or real emotion."

Minato sighed. "Every emotion is real, Ruri. The trick is to know which emotion will remain through the ages."

Ruri blinked. "I don't understand."

Minato sighed. "People think true love is eternal. But love is no different from any emotion, Ruri. You can be angry with someone for a while, but then eventually, the reason for your anger fades away, and with it, the emotion. Love is the same way. You may love someone because you are attracted to them, but eventually, you may stop seeing them that way, and your love for that person will die down."

Minato closed her eyes. "I thought that Mr. Hoary was the only man for me, but that was because I saw something in him that I longer see. And while it hurts me to say this, I haven't discounted the possibility that I may stop seeing what it is I see in Tsukumo. I hope to god that I don't, but love is not obliged to obey our wishes."

Ruri frowned. "But I don't know if the way I feel for Mr. Tenkawa will last, Mrs. Minato."

Minato smiled. "No, I guess you wouldn't. And neither do I. I was just trying to let you see the difference between love and lust."

Ruri nodded. "I see."

Minato smiled. "So…you've spoken to Mr. Akito?"

Ruri looked away. "…Yes."

"I see," Minato winked. "Well? What did he say?"

Ruri blushed, ever so slightly. "He told me…that I was cute."

Minato giggled. "Well, who could deny that?"

Ruri frowned, looking back at her. "But he also said he didn't see me as the sort of person he would do it with."

Minato sighed. "Well, who can blame him? You're 12 years old, Ruri, and he's a grown man. Your experiences are so vastly different, both in content and in proportion. Not to mention, the law forbids anyone over 18 having any sexual relations with someone under 16. To be honest, I would be worried if he had said he wanted to sleep with you."

Ruri shook her head. "I was not intending to stay with him the whole night."

Minato snickered. "I meant 'do it,' Ruri. You said you were familiar with the references."

Ruri frowned. "Sorry. Your point has been dully noted. I know that he and I have such different experiences, and that I am underage. But the year of my life I've spent on this ship, the most meaningful year in my entire life, has been shared with him as well."

Minato smiled. "And what about the law? Ask yourself: would you be willing to do something illegal if it meant being with this man?"

Ruri shuddered, looking away. "I don't know."

Minato smiled, evidently enjoying this. "And what about Captain Misumaru? And Mrs. Megumi? And Mrs. Ryoko? And Mrs. Won?"

"I don't know!" Ruri exclaimed.

Minato stopped. "I'm sorry, Ruri. But these are all things you'll have to think about. Take some time to yourself and come to a decision. Then I'll do whatever I can to help you through the rest."

Ruri nodded, standing up. "Thank you Mrs. Minato."

Minato smiled. "Oh, come on, Ruri, we're close enough now for you to drop the 'Mrs.' Right?"

"It is a sign of respect, as well as seniority."

Minato smiled. "At this point, we are both women searching for the true meaning of love. I may have experience on my side, but in truth, I am just as clueless about love as you are."

Ruri nodded, bowing. "I see. Thank you, Minato."

Minato waved. "Good night, Ruri-Ruri!"

xxxxx

Akito sat in his room, doing what he always did when a situation became too complicated for him to ponder: he watched Gekigengar.

His thoughts focused on the show. How many times had he watched this episode? Ten? Twenty? More? How many times could he watch it before he could recite it form memory?

And what about this deal with Ruri? With Yurika, Ryoko, Megumi…well, not so much her any more…and Erina and Mrs. Frissange after his butt in one form or another, how could he handle being sought after by the cutest girl in the entire solar system as well?

Akito grabbed a fistful of hair, trying to distract him from his women trouble with minor pain. He knew that he was the envy of almost every man aboard. And while he was hopeful for a relationship, what truly plagued him was that, by choosing one of his suitors, he would break the hearts of each of the others. And he couldn't stand doing that, especially not to Ruri…

Ok, hold up a minute…why had he thought that? Why did it seem worse to hurt Ruri than any of the other women?

Well, obviously, she was a child, and he didn't want her first experience with love (Because he refused to believe that she had been romantically involved with anyone before) to be a painful harbinger.

But it was more than that. He was her knight in shining armor. It was his duty to protect her. After all, she was a princess, albeit of a crude replica of a monarch in a free market economy franchise, but still.

And besides…she was Ruri. With every other suitor that had pursued him, he had always hesitated before acting, usually too late to save himself. But with Ruri, he never thought twice – he always acted for her sake, no matter what it was she wanted.

Akito ran both hands through the mop of his hair. He had no doubt what she meant to him. She was a very important person.

But to be romantic with her?

Akito had ever considered himself to posses a lolita complex, but if he continued with this train of thought, that just might change.

After all, she was so young! She was only 12!

But she was unlike any child he had ever known. Speaking with her was like speaking to an adult, albeit, an adult with the emotions of a child. Akito thought back to how she had reacted when she learned the truth about her family. It had broken her heart, which had broken his heart as well.

He had thought that maybe if he'd had a little sister like her…or if they'd met earlier on in life, who knows? Maybe he could have grown up with her instead of Yurika…

Maybe his first kiss would have been with a young Ruri instead of a young Yurika…

Unbidden, a nude image of Ruri popped into his head.

"Gah!" Akito yelped, turning up the volume of his show. "Bad thoughts! Bad thoughts!"

Despite his disapproval, he marveled at the image in his head. Such her sweet, innocent eyes…loosed hair…her skin fair and unmarked…a slim, dainty figure…

"No, no, no!" he shouted, banging his head against the wall. "I can not start thinking like that!"

That's when a knock at his door had him bolting to his feet.

"Gah!" he yelped. "J-Just a minute!" Akito switched off the TV and straightened up a bit before answering the door.

"Hello, Mister Tenkawa."

Akito blinked. "Uh…Mrs.…Minato?"

Minato smiled, knowingly. "May I come in?"

Akito jerked backwards. "Uh…yeah, yeah, uh…sure, come in."

Minato strode in carelessly, evidently with nothing on her mind. "So, Mr. Tenkawa…I heard you've had a visitor from our young helmswoman."

Akito held up his hands. "Oh, really? Who told you that?"

Minato smiled. "Ruri did."

Akito nervously glanced left and right.

Trapped.

"Mr. Tenkawa, before you jump to any rash conclusions, let me explain…" Minato sat down on Akito's bed. "Ruri is a growing young woman, and she's in a very awkward position right now. I'm sure you can remember how bizarre growing up was."

Akito crouched on the floor, holding his knees. "Yeah…I follow you…"

Minato looked away, as though off in the distance. "Mr. Tenkawa…Akito…I'm aware that you yourself are also in an awkward position with the captain, as well as many other member of the crew…but…be that as it may…I have a favor to ask of you…"

Akito sighed, already guessing what it was she wanted her to ask.

"You want me to let her down as gently as I can?"

Minato gawked at him. "What? You would do that to poor little Ruri? No, no, no, I was going to suggest that you two start becoming more…involved with one another."

Akito gasped. "Uh…'involved?' What do you mean, 'involved?'"

Minato winked. "You know, spending time together, having dinner with her, holding hands, kissing…you know? Romantic stuff. Let her see what being in love is really all about."

Akito couldn't believe his ears. A fellow officer, a senior officer at that, was actually giving him the go ahead to become romantically involved with a minor.

"What are you saying?" Akito demanded. "She's not even twelve years old! I am not going to risk statutory conviction! Besides, even if I were to be romantic with her, what'll happen when I tell her that it can't go any farther? Think of how heartbroken she'd be!"

Minato frowned. "Akito…you mean to tell me that you wouldn't want Ruri as a life mate?"

Akito faltered. "What? A…a life mate? Well…uh…to be honest, I hadn't thought that far in advance before. I mean…in a few years, I'd think Ruri would make a fine life mate. It's just that-"

"And Ruri, as I'm sure you're aware, is a very, very, patient girl," Minato smiled. "If she likes the way you treat her and you two get along really well, I know she'd be willing to wait until she's older to think about starting a family."

"Mrs. Minato!" Akito cried, embarrassed.

"And if not, then she'll ask to break it off, and you two can resume life as usual," Minato ceded. "More than likely, it'll be the latter, but just think for a minute, what it would be like living with such a cute, adorable person like Ruri. Doesn't the thought just make your heart swoon?"

Akito hesitated. A life mate? Ruri? The thought was just too profound to consider. Truth be told, he couldn't imagine any of his suitors being potential life mates. And while he felt so strongly for Ruri, the thought of offering himself to her in such a way…of asking her to offer herself like that…it just seemed…almost sacrilegious, to taint her purity like that.

Akito thought back. Hadn't Ruri just come to him, asking him about his feelings for her? And hadn't he, despite his best attempts, been thinking Ruri in a romantic light?

Akito gulped, steeling himself.

"Everything between her an I will change," Akito whined. "Even if we decide to break it off, we'll never be able to look at her the same way."

Minato shook her head. "It's already too late for that, Akito. She's already started to consider you in an entirely different manner."

Akito clenched his eyes. "If I do this…I'd be branded as a child molester. The crew would shun me…I'd be lucky if I could even keep my post here on the Nadesico…"

"Not if you keep it a secret," Minato smiled.

Akito's breath quickened. The possibility was getting nearer and nearer…with each passing moment, Minato's idea was seeming more and more feasible.

Good Gods, he was actually planning on going ahead with this!

"…Okay, Minato…" Akito breathed. "I'll do it."

xxxxx

A/N: Well, this has been an awkward situation for our favorite Aestivalis pilot, but then again, what situation isn't? I'm wondering how risqué I can make this story before I get dinged.

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